Why Not Spend Saturday Night With SNL Writing Great Alan Zweibel?

No doubt you recognize the man at left in the photo above -- that's Dr. Evil. The guy to his right? That's Alan Zweibel, among the finest, funniest writers in the history of Saturday Night Live, where, during the first (and, natch, best) five seasons of the NBC late-night series he co-created the likes of Emily Litella and Roseanne Roseannadanna, wrote Weekend Update segments and helped John Belushi find his inner Samurai. He was also a featured player: "Whenever they needed a big Jew to look scared or dead, they threw me out there," he told The New York Times in 2004.

Zweibel boasts some of the most impressive credentials in modern comedy, from It’s Garry Shandling’s Show (co-creator, exec producer) to Curb Your Enthusiasm to, among many other things, a handful of books, the latest of which is Clothing Optional, a collection of short, funny pieces heartily endorsed by his friends Steve Martin, Rob Reiner and Larry David. It's the latest tome that brings Zweibel to Dallas tomorrow night: He'll kick off the Aaron Family Jewish Community Center's Book Fair at 8:45, no doubt telling tales about his education in comedy. Tickets -- they're cheap, $30 for non-members, come on, already -- and the evening-with is followed by some wine and a little dessert, because, look, you always need a nosh. --Robert Wilonsky